The tone of this post is wry and gently provocative and not a rallying to call to quit your job, divorce, burn your friendships, or change one iota of your current status quo - not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that!

“We are the champions"– so sang Freddie Mercury an eternity ago and the song echoes throughout the great sporting stadiums of the world. It’s rousing and evocative. Evocative of shared triumph – and epitomizing a truly tribal sense of belonging.

There’s a primeval urge that is felt by all reasonably socialized individuals to fit. As rebellious youth we are defiant in our rejection of stereotype. It’s all about the individual, and expressing that unique albeit pompous voice that contradicts the old fashioned social mores and yet…..With an uncanny predictability, each generation ever so subtly morphs into a diluted version of their parents.100 years ago The Who proclaimed, “I hope I die before I grow old ” and with an irony that is breathtaking, sold the rights to the biggest television syndication of the millennium (CSI)

I’d like to provoke a pause for thought for your consideration! Social Networks are an extension of the school playground. There are leaders who dictate what’s cool. There are the followers – those that fit in and comprise the masses. And then alas there are those poor unfortunates that don’t quite fit, and are derided, teased, bullied or ignored. Follow their path for a few years and you’ll often find they are more often than not the interesting members of society.

Misfits build multi billion dollar empires out of digital thin air. They evolve into Authors, actors, king makers and sociopaths. Interesting doesn’t always equate to wholesome!I doubt there are too many sociopaths reading this post and if so, no offense! But here’s a thought. Imagine completely disregarding convention in your business and social networking endeavours.

Sell when others are buying.

Un-follow those that annoy you.

Quit your business that you’ve invested all that emotional energy into and start over.

Empty your pockets next time you see a homeless person instead of searching for the smallest coin you can find. Say no when someone asks you to go to a function/family gathering that you have no interest in attending.

Find your own voice and tempt ridicule by expressing the real you.

Be authentic and imagine that it’s OK to be you.Of course this is not the pulpit of any brand of insightful wisdom. The intended message is as follows:

Bland is boring. Effective is uninspiring. Efficient is mechanical. Copy and paste is expedient but rarely leads to long-term success.

Warts are interesting. I don’t want them but I’m intrigued when fallibility is shared. Tribes are safe places, and safety is an important cog on the hierarchy of needs, but it is also a potential creativity suppressor. So try it for a day, a week or a month. Go against the tide, follow the road less travelled, and you may end up lost confused or enlightened.